


Red

by CyberPhoenix



Series: Where The World Stands Still [1]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Gen, Time Cops/Magic Police, time travel shenangians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-03-29 10:09:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3892411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberPhoenix/pseuds/CyberPhoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Red. The color of anger, of passion. The color of her hair. The color of their blood.<br/>When two self-proclaimed cops decide to go back and stop one of their most hated enemies, things don't go anything close to according to plan. Stuck in a time and place where their lives are more likely than not in danger, can they fix their own mistake? Or will they die, paying the price for actions long since forgotten?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"We could go back to when Rythian was still here,  and actually arrest him! Maybe that's why he hasn't turned up at all recently, because we arrested him in the past!"

  
"My god."

* * *

  
  
It had seemed like a fantastic idea at the time, just go back far enough so they could get Rythian while he was still weak from the destruction of the old world (Or was it now the old, old world? How many worlds had been lost by now, neither of them knew.) and lock him up before he could go all revenge-crazy and eventually just poof off into another dimension or something. It had seemed simple enough, they were still strong with the magic they had learned from their previous advances and he wouldn't have much by that point. So, as they stepped through the so called "hypergate", the worried A.I.'s electronic voice shouting for them not to go, that something was wrong, they didn't care. Their destination was set, their time not to far off from when they knew it all started. They were actually going to do something for once.

  
They found themselves in the middle of a forest, and at the sound of footsteps, hid behind a couple bushes. Duncan grinned, hearing the voice of a man he hadn't seen in what seemed like forever, monolouging to himself about revenge.    
"This is the future. Well, the present, really. But it's not the past anymore." The scientist chuckled internally at the unintentional irony of the mage's statement, tuning back in a few moments later.  
"Well, basically, I used and abused Sjin and Sips enough to get myself some awesome equipment, specifically this little beauty of a thing, this destruction catalyst, is exactly what I'm going to use to grow my little empire. The thing is, I haven't forgotten about my little revenge plan. I still want to get rid of Sjin, not so much Sips; he's kind of nice. Also, I have yet to run into Duncan.. I'm gonna have a chat with him, ask him a few pointed questions about what happened, last time around."

  
It was time to stop the vengeful man, once and for all, before his plan spiraled out of control. Duncan nodded to Sjin, and they leapt out of the bushes, surprising Rythian. "Freeze!" Sjin shouted. "You're under arrest!"

  
"What the hell?" Rythian exclaimed, stepping back. "Sjin? Duncan? What the hell are you-"

  
"Anything you say can and will be used against you!" Sjin said. "So shut up!"

  
"What? What's going on?"

  
"We're the Magic Police, and you are under arrest for illegal magical activity." Duncan said, stepping towards the defensive man. "Besides, we heard about your revenge plan, and we're not gonna let you go through with that!"

  
"Oh, so that's what this is all about." Rythian relaxed, his initial shock of being ambushed lost in the few moments it had registered on his face. "It's not like I don't have good reasons, you're just going to get what you both deserve." He stared at the duo for a minute, a bit of confusion in his next words. "Since when were you two all friendly? I mean, considering you just ended a war and all, I'd have thought you'd at least be staying apart." Duncan laughed.

  
"Sorry to break it to you, but that whole "old world war" thing is long in the past. So long, that there's already been another war. Missiles can do a lot to the land, I hope you know."

"What?"

"What he's trying to explain is," Sjin started, triumphant. "we're not from this point in time. We're from the future, where we've survived long enough to see you disappear into nothing but a memory."

"As if." Rythian scoffed, crossing his arms. "You expect me to believe you're from the 'future'?"

"Well, yeah. 'Cause we are. Need proof?" Rythian nodded, eyes narrowing. "Here's your proof." Sjin rustled through his bag, grabbing for his gun. "Future technology that us from this time could only dream of!" He frowned, unable to find it. "It-it's in here somewhere, don't worry!" He cast a pleading glance at Duncan. "Can you get your flamethrower?" 

"Yeah, sure, it's right..." Duncan trailed off, panic setting in. "W-what the hell? It's gone!"

"Just show him Starfall, then! I don't know, it's kind of future magic stuff, isn't it?"

"Alright, Rythian, I'd suggest if you want to walk away with your life after this, that you move." Duncan grinned, muttering the spell that had decimated so many enemies in times before. Or in this case, he thought, in times to come. He waited, feeling a bit strange. The rush of power he usually got from casting such a strong spell hadn't appeared, nor did the telltale glow of the entangle portion. He waited more, worry shrouding his mind. Nothing happened. A thought struck him. He turned to Sjin, voice filled with horror. "Our magic doesn't exist yet!"

"Shit, no wonder we couldn't find the gun!"

"But why would it be different here, I mean, we have everything else..." Duncan's moment of thought was interrupted by a low chuckle from Rythian.

"So, you two truly are from the future. I see you're having trouble with, well, everything. So the world has changed by your time, how much, I can't say. But it explains one thing; even now, you're no match for me." Rythian unsheathed his sword, the emerald glinting in the sunlight that filtered through the trees. He swung quickly at Duncan, knocking him from his feet as he tried to avoid the blade.

"Do you have a sword?" Duncan asked, yelping in fear as he scrabbled away. Sjin shook his head, backing up slowly.

"Look, Rythian, we- we can talk this out!"

"Well, considering you barged in and tried to arrest me, I don't think that's an option."

"Shit, c'mon Duncan, let's run!" Sjin bolted deeper into the forest, dragging a stumbling Duncan behind him.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

They hurried through the trees, trying to escape the pursuing mage. Entering a small clearing, they stopped to take a breather. Fumbling through his bag again, Sjin whipped out a pair of glasses and put them on.

"A.I.!" he hissed, panic in his voice. "Get Duncan and I out of here! Bring us back!"

As Rythian burst through into the clearing, they were gone, back to the future that awaited them. Far away, a girl splashed down into a lake, unnoticed by all but the sky.

* * *

  
They were back in their time now, gasping from the encounter. But they weren't in the compound, nor in any sort of building whatsoever.

"Where the hell are we?" Duncan asked, looking around at the vast expanse of nature that surrounded them.

"A.I., I told you to bring us back to base! Not wherever this is!" Sjin said, waiting for the response from the disdainful program. But his glasses were dark, and no voice emerged. "What the hell?"

"Sjin, I think we fucked up the timeline!" Duncan exclaimed, eyes wide with the realization. He stared at something in the distance, squinting to see what it was.

"What makes you say that? I mean, it could just be an accident or something. We can't have screwed up the timeline just from that one meeting!"

"Uh, that building over there says otherwise." Duncan muttered, pointing to something in the distance. Sjin looked where he was pointing, and went pale. Not far off, looming above them like a giant, was a shockingly familiar tower, with the face of a certain dwarf dimly shining on the front. It looked abandoned, however, but not destroyed like what had truly happened. Simply incomplete, a project that had been deemed to difficult to accomplish.

"I thought the Jaffa Factory was gone! Maybe we aren't in our time?"

"Maybe we should go check it out." Duncan said, breaking into a run towards the factory, memories of working on it with his many friends surfacing in his mind. What had changed so it hadn't been finished? Why was it in such a state of disrepair? They made their way over to the tower, a strange silence filling the air. The only sound was a slight breeze and their feet crunching on the grass, dead beneath their feet. It seemed the plants in the vicinity of the factory had all died, withered and brittle where they stood. The air was chilling, and it was only now that they realized just how cold it was, like winter. "H-hello?" he called, crossing to the front of the building. After a few moments the door to the factory opened, and out stepped a familiar figure, stumbling forwards, shock in his luminescent blue eyes.

"Duncan?" Xephos sputtered, astonished. "What the heck are you doing here? I thought you were in hiding!" He then realized Sjin's presence, and stepped back.

"What the hell is he here for?" he snarled, voice shaking with anger.

"Uh, hey Xeph. Just stopping by, I guess...why would I be hiding? And what's your beef with Sjin?" Xephos stared at him like he had two heads.

"Have you gone mad?" he said, glancing around anxiously. "You can't stay here, I honestly don't care why you've allied with Sjin of all people, but that only makes matters worse. You need to leave."

"What? We just got here! Can't say hello or anything?"

"You idiot, I don't want you bringing _him_ here!"

"Who, me?" Sjin piped up.

"No!" Xephos lowered his voice to a whispered breath. " _Rythian._ " They stood in silence, as the words sunk in.

"Okay, you know what? I'm done pretending. If we actually were. We're not the Duncan and Sjin that you'd know; we're actually from the future. Which," Duncan added under his breath, "may or may not exist now."

"F-from the future?" Xephos stuttered. "Well, uh..."

"Can we at least come inside? It's a bit cold out here."

"S-sure? I guess if you're not the ones that he's looking for, maybe he won't... okay, c'mon." He led the duo inside, but the interior wasn't much better. It was mostly closed off to the open, but the floor was still dirt and torches could barely light up the wide room. "Honeydew? We've got.. company."

"Really? Who's dumb enough to go out?" The hoarse voice of the dwarf came from a brightened corner, where he was huddled next to a fire, his back turned to the group.

"These two. They say they're from the future, where supposedly they've survived long enough to forgive each other. It would explain their lack of common sense, if anything."

"Which two? Seems most don't have any sense nowadays."

"Duncan and Sjin." Honeydew whipped around, getting to his feet. He staggered towards the group.

"You're... you're both still alive?"

"Well, _we_ are," Duncan said. "Dunno about your time's us, but-"

"You need to leave, NOW!" The dwarf shouted suddenly. "Get out! We can't have you lot here, not now, not ever!"

"But-"

"Dew, listen. Maybe, since they're not the versions he's used to, he won't come after us!"

"They're lying! They just need a place to stay because he's found them! They just got together so that they stand a better chance of not dying, and now they're wanting to pull us in too! Well, I may not be the best with numbers, but I do know that a 1 in 4 chance of dying is worse than a 0 in anything of dying! They're gonna use us as shields, as distractions, as-"

"Maybe we should just leave," Sjin said, "We didn't mean to bother you two. We just wanted to know what was going on here, and why this place-" he gestured to the walls around them, "-never got finished."

"C'mon Honeydew, if they really don't know that, then surely they can't be our Duncan and Sjin." The dwarf sighed, crossing his arms in resignation.  
  
"Fine, but if this place comes crashing down because of you two and I don't survive while one of you does, _I'm going to haunt you, you son of a bitch._ " He laughed morbidly, before walking to sit back over at the fire. "Sit down, it's nicer over here."


	3. Chapter 3

"So, I suppose you know how we started out;" Xephos said, pointing to Duncan. "You, Honeydew, and I started to build the Jaffa Factory. Everything was going well, and one day, Sipsco just so happened to move in next door. You and Sjin seemed a bit wary of each other, but there weren't too many problems." He sighed, before moving on.   
  
"One day, though, you came barging into work all panicked and shaken. From what else I remember that day, you were pretty beaten up. You came in shouting about how you'd been attacked at your castle, and that you needed backup to go, and I quote, _'beat the shit out of Rythian before he kills me'_. Now, we-" He gestured to Honeydew and himself, "weren't too onboard with the idea. Or at least I wasn't. So we convinced you to cool down a bit, and take refuge at the factory." 

"What we didn't expect, though, was for _him_ to come here, all angry and demanding we 'relinquish the wrongdoer'. That's how he phrased it, I swear. So, we obviously didn't go down without a fight, which gave you enough time to hightail it out and away." Xephos frowned, before finishing. "Then this horrible winter started, so since then we've just been trying to survive, with no time to try and build anything. It's seemed like forever since it began, and hasn't shown a single sign of stopping."

"Well, shit. We honestly screwed up the timeline then. It's a miracle we haven't spontaneously stopped existing." Duncan said, putting a hand to his forehead.

"You keep talking about the timeline and whatever, I mean, you two say you're from the future, so why'd you come back?" Honeydew asked.

"Well, in our version of today, things aren't anything like this. Me and Sjin are partners, obviously, and everyone else is sort of just doing their own thing. Sipsco, the Jaffa Factory, heck, even my castle are all old news. Things didn't go perfect, but most got done. Then exploded, for that matter, but it wasn't... it wasn't like this."

"As for Rythian," Sjin added, "he sort of disappeared one day after he lost his base in some sort of accident or something, not sure what happened... do you know, Dunc?"

"Uh.. well, I may have put a nuke under his base and it almost killed Zoeya. But it didn't, so I guess that's why he made the truce; so he can't lose her or whatever. Speaking of Zoeya, I'd have thought she would have done something about this whole revenge fiasco, considering she wasn't onboard to the point of leaving him."

"Who's Zoeya?" Honeydew asked.

"You know," Duncan said, "Rythian's partner or apprentice or something?" At the others' confused silence, he continued, "Red hair? Obsessed with mushrooms?"

"No idea who that is," Xephos said, "but if she's working with him, it's no wonder we haven't seen anything of her. The man's mad, probably has her as his queen or something of the like. Wouldn't know either way if she existed, considering how little we see just of him on a timely basis."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's locked himself up in his mage tower or whatever, and can't be bothered to actually terrorize the likes of us up front. Just keeps everyone in check with this bloody cold."

"So, he's not actually hurting anyone?"

"Of course he's hurting people!" Honeydew argued. "Have you seen the weather? You two were lucky to find us when you did, a couple more minutes and you'd have been nothing but icicles, lost in the snow! The deal with the cold," he added, lowering his voice, "is that you don't know what's happening until it's too late. From what I heard, after him and Sjin split, Sips ended up falling prey to the storm. But it's just a rumor, no one's been brave enough to find out. Only reason we heard it was because Nilesy and Lomadia were passin' by, lookin' for a new home. Poor souls were survivin' on a couple stacks of torches. I sure hope they made it." Xephos mumbled something under his breath, eyes on the ground. "What'd you say, friend?"

"We could have helped them, you know. It would have been better to offer them shelter, we'd have survived better with more people."

"You know what would have happened, they would have gone and stolen our supplies and left us for the snow!"

"No, they wouldn't! Why do you always use that as your excuse for not having anyone else here?" Both adventurers were shouting now, to the dismay of their guests.

"Because we're gonna run out of stuff eventually, and I don't want it to be because we misplaced our trust!"

"If we're gonna freeze to death anyways, what's so wrong with spending time with our friends?"

"How are they friends, if they're just gonna abandon us and take what little time we have left!" It was then that the time-traveling duo noticed the distinct lack of any firewood in the room, or anything, for that matter. All that was there was the slowly burning fire, smaller and dimmer than what it had seemed to be when they arrived. The trees outside would be of no help, and mining was likely a waste of precious firelight if one needed a torch. No doubt the dwindling life  was a result of the horrible, magic-made winter. 

"Uh, we.. should get going." Sjin piped up, interrupting the argument.

"Oh, alright. Just gonna take the information you needed and leave us for dead, are ya?" Honeydew accused.

"That's not it, it's just..." Duncan trailed off.

"We're gonna take down Rythian for you guys, so you don't have to worry about the cold!" Sjin said, striking a triumphant and mighty pose, which lost its effect as a sudden chilled breeze swept through the air, blowing out the fire.

"Well, good luck to ya. Hope you don't die too painfully." Honeydew said, changing his tone to calm as he set to work, trying to light up a new fire with a flint and steel. Sjin and Duncan turned to leave the pathetic sight, waving to a now silent, remorseful Xephos. They left the compound, and set off running. Wherever they were going, they needed to get there, and fast.


	4. Chapter 4

They arrived at another seemingly abandoned building relatively soon after they left, the neglected shambles of Sipsco much smaller than that of the Jaffa Factory. Only two small, one-story buildings were standing, and were unrecognizable from the outside.

"Anyone here?" Duncan called. A voice from the closer building echoed back, shivering even in words.

"Go away Duncan, you've caused enough trouble. I hope he gets you first!" Sjin gasped, recognizing the voice as his own. Duncan had heard the same, and they glanced at each other.

"Sh-should I go in first? Since he probably isn't happy with you and all?" Sjin said, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"Let's go in together, so he's too busy being confused with the whole 'duplicate selves' thing while we take the time to explain ourselves."

They marched into the building, and found the other Sjin, sitting next to a Nether portal, of all things. It was soon apparent why, because as they approached, a welcome warmth seemed to emanate in the purple glow of the portal. They had never noticed it before, the subtle heat that came from the obsidian rings, but it was now well appreciated. The other Sjin however, seeing the two barge in, gawked at them in utter confusion. Duncan quickly moved to explain.

"Before you say anything, we're from the future, where everything is fine and you and I are good buds. Do not worry, we're not here to hurt you or anything. We've come to stop this winter." The other Sjin soaking in all this information, seemingly unbothered by the explanation and accepting it fairly easily.

"If you have a Nether portal, why're you not going in to get lava or something?" Sjin asked, "I mean, there's tons there, so you'd never run out!"

The other Sjin frowned, replying in a somber voice, "So what? I've not got a bucket or anything to carry it in; besides, the trip will likely kill me. Not that that wouldn't be appreciated at this point, but I'm not in the mood for a suicide mission."

"Well, what if we help you out? We need to find a safer way to get over to wherever Rythian's hidden himself away, and it seems this is as good an option as any!"

"Like you've got anything better than what I have, none of us have armor or weapons."

"I've actually got two stone swords. They're almost broken, though. Picked em up on our way here, probably belonged to some long dead adventurer." Duncan said, handing one to Sjin. "Forgot to tell you earlier."

"At this point, it's likely they belonged to someone I knew..." the other Sjin muttered.

"Look," Sjin said. "Either you come with us and potentially live a whole lot longer, or we head through and leave you for whatever still lives in this weather. Alright?"

The other Sjin contemplated his options, before standing up. "I'll go, if only so I'm not so damn lonely here." The duo, now a trio, stepped into the shimmering purple, letting it envelop them and whisk them away.

The sudden change in temperature was startling, the frigid air replaced with overwhelming warmth. There was no doubt; they were in the Nether. The joy the trio felt at the lack of cold was interrupted, however, by a loud scream, not too far away. Glancing at each other, the two Sjins quickly set off in the direction of the noise, with Duncan trailing behind. They soon found the source; a woman, cornered by a horde of zombie pigmen. The undead snarled at her, swords swinging wildly. Two of them leapt into action, the two "time cops", bringing out what flimsy weapons they had and slashing down the group with surprising ease. Even with the dull blades of stone barely cutting at the flesh, the pigmen fell, one by one, each collapsing into a heap of rotting meat. The two rescuers blinked, confused at the lack of resistance.

The woman they had saved was wearing a long gown, and her reddish hair was tied behind her head, draping down to her back. She was smiling, but when she caught their gaze, she hardened her expression to that of unmoving steel. A yell from behind them caused the two to turn, to see the other Sjin caught, knife to his throat, in the arms of another woman. She looked surprisingly strong for her stature, with short black hair and strange orange marks running up her arms and face. Her right eye gleamed a sharp red, and she glared at the duo.

"Get away from her!" She shouted. Her voice sounded familiar, but neither could place it exactly. They backed away slowly from the one they had just saved, who stared intently at the other woman, a bit of unspoken communication passing between them. The woman suddenly let go of the other Sjin, and he stumbled forwards. "Oh, so you saved her? My bad, thought you lot were the reason she was screaming."

"Uh, yeah, we just rescued her from some pigmen. Who are you two, anyways?" The small woman narrowed her eyes at them.

"You aren't from here, are you?"

"No, we- we came through the portal." Duncan pointed to the obsidian circle in the distance, still glowing a deep purple.

"Ah, that explains it. You three are overworlders. Have you come to stay? Because we're not accepting any more immigrants."

"Uh, what?"

"I said, if you plan to stay in this dimension, you cannot. It's against the law."

"What law?"

"Ugh, overworlders know NOTHING these days..." The woman groaned.

"Can you just tell us who you are any why we can't stay here?"

"First, say who you three are. You're the trespassers."

"Well, I'm Duncan, and these two.." The other Sjin piped up first.

"I'm Sjin, and this is my twin brother, Zidjin!" He grinned widely, wrapping an arm around his "brother", who scowled at the sudden renaming.

"So, you're identical twins, with almost identical names. Well, great. As if my expectations of overworlders couldn't get lower. Anyways, my name's Nanosounds. I'm just a guard to the royal family, specifically that of the princess over there. Speaking of-" The woman, Nano, rushed over to the redhead, looking her over for any scrapes or bruises. "Do you feel okay, Lady Zoeya?"

"N-Nano? Z-Zoeya?" Duncan sputtered, turning to Sjin, who was too busy arguing with the other Sjin to notice the sudden turn in events.

"Why do I have to get the fake name?" He hissed.

"Because I'm the original in this case! It's only fair, if we encounter anyone I might know." The other Sjin replied, crossing his arms. "Besides, it's not like it's any different when it comes down to it."

"What do you mean, anyone you might know? Like who?"

"Like... like Sips! I don't know..."

"Heard a rumor you and him had a fight. This true?"

"So what if we did? It's none of _your_ business! Plus, if you're future me, you'd know what happened!"

"Maybe I just don't want to remember!"

"So? That's your problem, not mine!"

"It's my problem if you steal my name!"

"Will you two stop?" Duncan said, pointing to the two women who were seemingly engrossed in a conversation with only their eyes. "They're being weird, and I don't like it!" They all turned to Nano and Zoeya, who were staring at each other. Occasionally, Nano would say something, only to resume locking their gazes.

"Okay, good point, that is weird." 'Zidjin' commented.

"Hey, you two! What's up with the weird eye talk?" Duncan shouted.

"Duncan, that's rude!" Sjin said, elbowing him.

"Oh, sorry!" Nano said, walking over to the trio, Zoeya in tow. "Forgot you lot were still here! So, now that I've remembered, I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Why do you keep saying we have to leave?" Duncan asked.

"Because, we've had an influx of refugees from the Overworld flooding in because of some 'horrible wintery magic disaster' or whatever, and we honestly can't support a stable economy with all of these new people! Overpopulation was bad enough with the blaze spawners, luckily we controlled that fairly quickly. But seriously, get out." Nano pointed to the portal.

"Uh, we're only wanting to pass through, honestly."

"Yeah yeah, that's what they all say. Get movin', I'll escort you to your portal then I'll deactivate it once you leave."

"Oh, please don't!" Sjin said, "It's my only source of warmth!"

"You should've thought about that before you came here, then. You bother us, we bother you. It's simple."

"You've got to let us pass, we're trying to stop the cold that is killing the Overworld. If we succeed, all of the 'overworlders' or whatever you called us can go back home and leave you in peace!" Duncan pleaded. Nano seemed to ponder this for a moment, before shaking her head.

"Sorry, no exceptions, not even people trying to save the Overworld. C'mon, move!" She pushed Duncan, but he held his ground.

He stared past the guard at Zoeya, who had been hanging behind Nano the entire time, and mouthed the word 'please'. She nodded, concentrating. Nano stepped back. "Well, if her Highness says so... then I suppose I'll have to let you stay. But not for long, mind you. The princess has told me to allow you to stay here for as long as your journey may take, no dawdling."

"Oh, thank you!"

"Don't thank me, thank her. She probably thinks she owes you one from saving her life, even though I could have done the same easily." Nano huffed. Zoeya shot her a look that even the others could see meant 'but you didn't'. "I guess you'll want me to help guide the way; I know most Overworld portals and where they lead. Can't follow you through though, so don't expect me to go _that_ far with you."

"That'll be fine, thanks." Duncan said, before nodding gratefully at Zoeya, who smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

The group, consisting of two Sjins, a Duncan, and this world's Nano, made their way through the Nether. The two Sjins held back, flipping between bickering with each other and sympathizing with the other's experiences. Duncan and Nano took the front, engaged in conversation. Duncan was a scientist, after all. He needed answers, needed logic, needed to know exactly what was going on.

"So, what's up with the whole 'eye contact communication thing' that you and Zoeya have going on?" Duncan inquired.

"Oh, that! Well, from what she's told me, Zoeya originated from the Overworld, but when the cold struck, she lost the ability to speak through words as you and I can. Luckily, being mushroom royalty at the time, she took her kingdom to my homeworld, and has helped rule peacefully ever since, with help of a mycellium-based hivemind. Though she only talks to the two kings mostly, sometimes she speaks to her close friends or servants. Of which I'd like to say I am both." Nano laughed, a bit more cheerful now that she didn't have to worry about causing a conflict.

"Wait, mushrooms? Mycellium hivemind?"

"Yeah! Zoeya's heir to the throne, and currently there are two kings. King Barry and King Jeff. They quarrel over her, you know. Keep trying to split the kingdom. So I guess we're kind of grateful this winter has driven so many newcomers to our land, as it's stopped them from fighting so they can take care of everyone."

"That still doesn't explain much. How.. how are mushrooms... talking?"

"That's the thing, most important communications run through Zoeya to the humans of the land, since only her mind can reach theirs. It's a bit of work, from what she's told me, but she's strong. She can handle almost anything! As for how the whole thing works..." Nano shrugged. "I honestly have no idea, but really couldn't care less. I mean, it isn't that different from just talking, so I never really thought into _how_ it works."

"You said you knew where each portal is, right? Do you have any idea where they lead?"

"Well, kind of. Like I said, I can't leave this place, so it's not like I've ever been there, but I have a general knowledge of the relative locations."

"Do you know which is closest to the source of the cold?"

"I do not, sorry. I do know, however, where there are other overworlders. The portals near completely dead or abandoned sections of the Overworld have been shut down, so that decreases the number substantially. When I was last here, there was only like eight or so portals, and since then, more overworlders have come through, so if you're looking for someone in particular, that could help."

"Has there been anyone who's looked like me?"

"Don't think so, there's only like two untouched portals. If you know whoever you're looking for has one, it's likely they're past one of those."

"Well, I don't want to end up in the wrong place. Besides, we're not looking for my 'twin'. We're looking for the one who started the storm."

"What's that all about anyways? Some crazed guy trying to take over or somethin'?"

"I doubt it. He's a bit mad, so I think he just wants to kill."

"Wow, glad we don't have anyone like that here." 

"I was going to ask you earlier, but why can't you leave the Nether?" 

"It's a kind of long story."

"Is it? Well, we've got time, right?"

"If you really wanna hear it, okay. We actually are almost there, so I'll keep it short. I started existing here not too long before the fungi brought their kingdom to this place, woke up one day in a brick tower. I just kind of made my home there, and everything was fine. I agreed to guard Zoeya with my life, and in return got a fairly good place of living in the castle. Better than my tower, at least. One day, however, Zoeya and I were walking among the blazes, just making sure all was well with the citizens, when I slipped off of the fortress." Nano fell silent, remembering the rush of air past her body as she descended into the depths below.   
"I almost died that day, falling into the lava. Luckily, some blazes helped me out, and now I'm technically half-blaze. Or something. Now, as you probably know, if a blaze touches water they get injured. In my case, it's a bit different. Something about the composition of the Overworld's earth and air just hurts me. Funnily enough, it feels like I'm burning. So, you can see why I wouldn't wanna go there."

"Uh, yeah. Wow."

"Well, seemed my story took just long enough, 'cause we're here!" They had indeed arrived, a long row of obsidian portals glowing a dim contrast to the red all around. Most had signs next to them, which each read "Discontinued Use". Only two were without the signs, placed conveniently next to each other. They approached.

"So, which one's our way out?" one Sjin asked.

"Dunno." the other replied. Duncan didn't respond, inspecting the portal on the left first. He stared at the purple surface, trying to distinguish any features of the other dimension. What he received instead was a blast of cold air, almost knocking him back from the sheer force. He stumbled over to the portal on the right, and upon not being blown away, nodded.

"This one seems right." Duncan stepped back.

"But, wouldn't the other lead us straight to Rythian?" his Sjin asked.

"Probably, but we could take a little detour to get ourselves prepared for the fight. I bet this time's me is doing fine, if not better than everyone else. So he'll probably help out." 

The other Sjin, frowning, walked over to the smirking blond. "Uh, sorry to burst your bubble, but I honestly doubt that the Duncan I know would be anywhere near what you expect him to be."

"Nah, he'll be fine! Surely he will." Duncan beamed, a bit over-optimistically.

"If you say so..." The other Sjin turned to Nano, who was poised to leave. "I.. I know it's a bit rude of me to ask, but would it be possible for me to stay here?"

"What?" All the three others blurted in unison.

"You can't-" Sjin was saying.

"We've no space-" Nano was saying.

"We need you-" Duncan was saying.

"I don't want to go back to the cold-" The other Sjin was saying.

All four were interrupted by a voice ringing through their heads. They all recognized the bubbly tone as Zoeya. Something about her seemed different from what the time cops knew, however. She seemed more regal, more focused.   
"If you really want to stay, there's no stopping you. All are welcome in our little kingdom of Mushbury, even those from the Overworld. We'll find a way to survive if we work together! As for the two of you who wish to return to your home dimension, I can tell you that, as you are now, you will not survive if you go to the left. But, you likely will not find anything of use to the right. Either way, I hope you succeed in saving the Overworld from the cold that plagues it." Her words sounded formal, as if she was reading from a speech. She resumed, her voice taking on a more sympathetic, yet calm tone.  
"I know many would be grateful, and that many have lost their lives. I was lucky to only lose my voice."

"Th-thank you..." the other Sjin murmured. Nano crossed her arms, before reluctantly leading the man away.

"Guess we're alone, then." Duncan muttered, unhappy with the turn of events.

"We'll be fine," Sjin said, trying to cheer the unmotivated man, "We're time cops, remember? And also magic police! We took on a Nature Guardian, heck, we took on a group of em! Worse comes to worse, we've both survived a war before. Surely... surely this can't be any different." He looked down, unsure if what he had just said would prove to be true. Death had been permanent once, and there was no telling if, when they died, they would come back at all.

"Let's do this. Let's get it over with, and get back to our time. Somehow." Duncan approached the portal, Sjin right behind. As they stepped through, the purple enveloping them in cold once more, they heard a faint echo in their minds, a final message from the faraway princess.

"Good luck."


	6. Chapter 6

They arrived in a desolate landscape, with not a thing in sight, save for the ruins of a once mighty structure in front of them. It looked habitable, despite everything, so there was a chance someone was still living here.

  
"Duncan?" Sjin called into the deteriorating bricks of the castle, his voice echoing faintly along the walls. A shuffling of footsteps shambled up from the ground, and a weary, but familiar blond scientist emerged from the nearly collapsed tower.

"That's not my name..." he slurred, obviously exhausted. "I'm Lalna now..." When his eyes drifted over to Duncan, he physically jumped back. Or rather, would have, if he had the strength. He merely stumbled back a few steps, shaking in a mixture of terror and anger. "N-no.. not another of you..."

  
"Calm down," Duncan started, "We're not here you hurt you."

"Th-that's what they all said... and I believed them! But they were lying, so now they're dead. Don't lie to me."

"Listen, I don't know what you've been through, and I don't really want to know, but the deal is this: we're from the future, and we've come back to try and stop Rythian. Can you help us?"

"No, why would I want to?"

"Well, considering the state of your castle, I doubt you'll live much longer if this winter keeps raging on."

"So? I've seen enough death to last a lifetime. Won't see my own, though." He was staring at them warily, his gaze flickering between the two.

"C'mon," Sjin said, approaching Lalna, "if we work together, we'll be fine!" 

Lalna scrambled back, suddenly brandishing a knife. He waved it frantically, as if to try and deter Sjin from moving any closer. "No! Don't come any nearer, g-get out!" He was shouting, his voice having lost its whispered tone in his burst of fear. "I don't care if you're from the future, you're still a liar! Both of you! You're- you're here to kill me, like all the others! Well-" he cut himself off, giving a nervous laugh, "I took care of all the others, and if- if you try anything, I'll do the same to you! All I want is to die in peace!"

"If you're in such a hurry to die, why are you defending yourself?" Sjin asked. "We're not here to kill you, anyways. We need your help!"

"I-I want to leave on my own terms, not anyone else's! That's it! That's all I need now, all anyone needs now, all-"

"Look, if we wanted you dead, you'd be dead already. Okay?" 

Lalna contemplated this, before nodding slowly, relaxing. "Sure...I'm still not helping you." His voice had switched back to its eerily calm tone, a bit suddenly. 

"Why not?" Sjin whined.

"Because it's my fault he's angry anyways. If he so much as sees me, I'll be dead for sure. I'll be no help."

"Oh, come on!" Duncan shouted. "It's just _Rythian!_ Honestly, I'm surprised everyone's been so scared of him! I mean, yeah, he did go a bit revenge-crazy, and yeah, he probably would've killed at least me if it weren't for my... uh... measures of caution, and yeah, if things hadn't gone as they did he'd probably have killed me anyways and..." He paused. "Okay, so even if he's a more than formidable opponent, surely... if we work together... it'll be fine?"

"Great pep talk there, Duncan." Sjin muttered.

"See, even you're beginning to see it. There's no other option then to take what you've got and just try and live!" Lalna said. "So many times now, someone's tried to kill me so they can live longer. But they've got it all wrong; killing isn't the answer, especially not now. Then again," he laughed. "it's not like I can say much, considering I had to kill them. At least they helped me live, didn't have to use my emergency food rations after that. But that doesn't matter now, all that matters is that you two leave, whether on a quest to your death or not." Despite his tone of finality, he looked unsure of himself.

"You're not gonna live much longer if this keeps up." Duncan intoned. Whatever little confidence Lalna had faltered, showing in his scowl. It seemed he wanted to go, at least a little, but was simply too scared to try anything.

"Unless you can make sure I get out of the encounter alive, I'm not going with you. As much as I'd kind of like to talk to Rythian..."

Sjin sighed. "Fine, we'll be on our way then. But if you change your mind, we'd appreciate your help. Not like we'll need it, will we, Duncan?" Sjin winked at his partner, a silent hint. _Trick him into thinking he'll be fine, if he's not, who cares?_

"Y-yeah, we'll be fine on our own! No worries there!" They turned to leave, walking away from the pitiful man. "We'll be fine... don't know why I was so worried earlier!" Duncan hoped his sudden change in tone would convince the skeptic.

"W-wait, I'll go with you." Lalna jogged after them. "I know I said a lot about not wanting to die because of anyone else, but-" He frowned. "I wouldn't want to die without knowing why someone's killed me. Besides, it's not really on my own terms if I just succumb to this winter, now is it?"

"Great, well, three out of four should be good enough!" Duncan grinned, his spirits lifting. Sure, they might not be in the best shape, but it didn't hurt to try, did it? Besides, everything'd be fine, even the coward of the group got a little... used as a human shield. No biggie! As long as they all survived, it'd be fine!

Just fine.


	7. Chapter 7

Staring up at the dark fortress looming above them, Lalna couldn't help but once again have doubts about tagging along. The black gate was open, as if waiting for the trio. It seemed that an attempt had been made to light torches along the entrance, but all signs of flame had been extinguished by the harsh, freezing gales. They had made it to the lair of their enemy just as the sun began to rise, having spent a fitful night in the Nether before returning through the other portal. Lalna was relieved when the other Sjin did not follow. He had told them that he wanted to help somehow, and had a plan, but stayed behind despite his talk. So they were alone. As the first rays of sunshine tried to pierce the horizon, they pushed open the large stone doors and entered the castle.  
  
 They stepped into the main room, the doors behind them gently swinging shut. They closed with a resonating clunk, and Lalna yelped. Duncan glared at him, holding a finger to his lips. It seemed the time-traveling scientist was on edge as well, however, as he glanced around nervously. This first room was well-lit, but cold, as the light came from the shimmering stones that lined the walls. While the temperature wasn't as cold as it had been outside, it was still enough to cause him to shiver. Sjin, however, marched forwards, motioning for the others to follow. The next room seemed to stop any light from the outside from entering, leaving it pitch black. An elegant red rug laid out a path into it, like a long tongue into a gaping maw of some horrid beast. The farmer strode into the dark room, with the duo of scientists following behind, the last of which internally whimpering like a scared puppy.  
  
Crossing over into the room, the walls were suddenly alight with purple flames, illuminating the area. Two doors, previously concealed in the darkness, slid shut behind them. They weren't locked or anything, but the mere act convinced the trio that they weren't about to just back out of this now. It was a relatively small chamber, with the only object within being a large obsidian throne. On top of this throne, sat Rythian. He was much different than how the two time cops remembered him, his cloth mask and cloak replaced with ones of sharply edged material that they recognized as dragon scales. He was decked out in full infernal armor, gems gleaming in the red matter that clung to his frame, protecting him from all angles. A katar hung loosely at his side, and two klein stars hung around his neck, radiating energy.  
  
"I've been expecting you." His voice was a low whisper, full of menace and hatred. "Here to receive your deaths with grace, I suppose?"

"Rythian," Lalna started, swallowing his fear for the sake of knowledge, "why are you doing all of this? I mean, I can understand you'd be angry about the old world, but..."

"This isn't just about the old world."

"Then why?" The last bits of Lalna's fear dissipated, replaced by a growing resentment for the man in front of him. He pushed past the time cops, glaring at Rythian.

"That is of no concern to you."

"If you're going to fucking _kill me,_ at least tell me what I did to deserve this!" He shouted, his rage surprising those around him. "You're killing _everyone,_ and you can't even have the decency to say _why?_ " He spat, breathing heavily from his outburst.

"It doesn't matter either way, you're going to die. You won't care or know anything once this is over, so why does it matter?" Rythian argued, his eyes narrowing.

"Because I want to know!" Lalna was different now, all his previous care for his safety discarded in his fury. He took out his knife, and lunged for Rythian. In one smooth movement, Rythian got up, side-stepped the attack, and countered with his katar. Lalna's head fell to the floor beside the throne with a bloody thump, his body following after. Silence filled the air, as Duncan and Sjin were wordless from the swift murder.

"One down, two to go." Rythian growled, kicking the headless body to the side. He sat back down, turning his gaze back to the time cops. "Strange, how you haven't vanished from existence yet," He said, turning to Duncan. "Guess I'll just have to end you the old fashioned way. But, now that the idiot's gone," Rythian glanced over at the head on the ground, the face still contorted with rage, "let's have ourselves a bit of a chat, why don't we?"

"S-sure..." Duncan murmured, knowing that anything other than agreement would likely only result in the same fate as his 'this timeline' counterpart. Sjin nodded frantically, unable to hide his fright. 

"You said that, in your time, I had disappeared into nothing but a memory. So, how does it feel, seeing me as anything but? I hold this world's fate in my hands now, and no one can even try to-"

"STOP!" A voice from behind the doors called, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps.   
****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to have this as just one chapter, but then it got a bit too long for my likings. Expect the last chapter to be up soon!


	8. Chapter 8

The doors were thrown open, and out emerged the other Sjin, followed by Zoeya, of all people.

This Sjin strode up to the astonished Rythian, and took the moment to attack, a gleaming diamond blade just barely missing the mage as he swiftly dodged. Rythian struck back, but Sjin met the strike with his sword, a sharp clang echoing in the room. Sjin swung again, but missed as Rythian took the opportunity to slice his arm. Blood dripped onto the cold floor as he cried out in pain, faltering in his attack. Rythian stared at him, unhurt and likely grinning. Sjin bowed his head, as if conceding defeat, but as Rythian let his guard down to deliver a fatal blow, he brought his sword back up, catching Rythian's cheek as it sliced. Rythian roared in anger, stepping back, before thrusting his katar into Sjin's exposed chest. The man sunk into the blade, a twisted smile on his face as he looked up at his killer.  
  
"At least I got you once." He choked out, his voice barely audible. He closed his eyes, never to open them again. But Rythian wasn't done. As the little slice in his check healed, he shoved the body to the ground, taking his katar out of the wound and stabbing it back into the ribcage. He did this again and again, until the torso of the other Sjin was naught but a bloody mess with shards of bone mixing with flesh and organs. It was only then that he stood up, his front covered in the other man's blood.  
  
Through all of this, the time cops had stood, helpless to do anything. Their expressions were ones of disgust and discomfort, but overall didn't seem to pity the now dead version of the farmer. He hadn't agreed to help the initially, and he had been so foolish as to take the mage head-on. Sjin did feel a little shock, though, seeing 'himself' die in such a manner, but Duncan had felt the same only earlier. Princess Zoeya, however, watched the scene in horror, a hand clasped around her mouth, eyes wide. As Rythian turned his gaze to her, she met his stare with one of determination.  
  
"Rythian, was it?" Her words, unspoken, hovered in his mind as she communicated. "I see you are not one to go about things peacefully."

"He attacked me," Rythian growled. "I was merely defending myself. And it is of no concern of yours, fire-girl."

"You've murdered at least two innocents just today, and numerous others because of the havoc you've wreaked on this plane, causing all alive to flee to my realm. Because of that, it is indeed my concern what you do to those around you."

"So? The world is crumbling around us as we speak. It's not worth trying to save it now."

"Don't you see?" Zoeya said, taking a step forward. "Things could have been different!"

Suddenly it seemed as if they were. A translucent shimmer seemed to come from the air, forming colors and pictures. It was Rythian and Zoeya, but different. Sjin and Duncan recognized them as the versions they knew, caught in a tight embrace. Even in the muted fog, the ghostly Zoeya's cyborg arm glinted, lit by an inside source. As did Rythian's necklace, with an ender pearl gleaming ominously at the end. Then, as suddenly as the images appeared, they were gone, swept away as if by a strong wind, jolting everyone back into the harsh reality. The two, the destroyer and the royal, stood as they had been, either oblivious or uncaring to the magic that had just enveloped them.

"They still can be, you know. If you stop now, the world can heal. No one else has to die." Zoeya pleaded.

Rythian stared at her, his gaze cold. "I've seen the death of many worlds. Why should another be so different?"

"Well, I didn't want to do this, but I'm afraid I have no choice. As the princess of Mushbury, I command you to cease-" The telepathy was cut off, as she coughed loudly, blood dribbling from her lips. She fell, mind silent, to her knees, before collapsing onto the ground. With a quick _vwip,_ Rythian had returned to his seat on the dark throne.

"Since that's over, is there anything you two'd like to say for yourselves?" He sheathed his katar, once again slick with blood.

They stared in shock, at the still bleeding body of the girl, her life quickly slipping away with every strained breath.

"Y-you killed her!" Duncan sputtered. The killing of who, in their timeline, had been the reason Rythian gave up his murderous revenge plan, was an utter catastrophe to the scientist.

"No, I didn't. She's still alive. I'm not heartless, unlike you two. I don't kill those who don't deserve it."

"Are you crazy? She's going to die in seconds!" Sjin shouted, equally aghast as Duncan. "You can't just say you didn't just murder someone!"

"She's _not dead!_ " Rythian growled. "I'm the hero of this story, I don't kill innocents! All I did was make sure she didn't interfere any more than she already has!"

_"You don't kill innocents?"_ Duncan said, hysterical. "You've doomed everyone, and now you've just murdered one of the only people who was actually gonna survive your stupid revenge plan! You're not the hero of this 'story' or whatever, you're the bloody villain!"

"I am not." Rythian argued, getting up and striding over to the barely breathing form of Zoeya. Kneeling down, he took off one of the two klein stars that hung around his neck, tucking it and his life stone into her hands. "She'll be fine. As you for two," He stood back up, approaching the frightened duo, "you'll die so quickly, I couldn't save you if I actually wanted to. I'll have you know, all of this-" He gestured to the corpses of their counterparts, "was your fault. If you had just _left me alone,_ maybe things would have been different. Who knows? But you, you just _had_ to meddle with the past. I hope you're happy with what you've created." He was upon them now, standing as if to challenge them to even try to fight.

"W-we're here to stop you." Duncan said, voice wavering.

"Well, I didn't see you lift a finger to help the others when I was fighting any of them. You two just stood there, like statues, too afraid to do so much as to try." He leaned towards them, arms crossed. "Are you afraid of dying, 'magic police'? Are you terrified, to the point that you can't even help those who would've been better off without you? Are you so frightened, that you can't even avenge those that have died in order to save you? Is that what you are? Cowards?" He sighed. "Pathetic. I'm rethinking giving you two a swift death, you'd be better off suffering."

Rythian stepped back, bringing out his katar for what seemed a fourth time now, and was about to plunge it into one of them, when he froze, eyes wide. With his free hand, he reached to the back of his neck, plucking out a feathered dart. He stared at it in confusion, before swaying and collapsing to the ground. Zoeya stood behind him, a blowgun in one hand and a trio of darts in the other. She had discarded the life stone and klein star that had saved her life, and they laid, abandoned, behind her. She was staring at the unconscious mage on the floor, frowning. She looked up at the astonished time cops.

"I didn't want to resort to anything close to violence, but it seems I had no other choice. You're welcome, by the way." Her voice echoed in their minds.

"You couldn't have done that a lot sooner?" Duncan complained.

"Well, what now?" Sjin said. "He's not going to be asleep forever, so what do we do?"

"That's up to you two. I've gotta get back to Nano before she realizes I'm gone. Besides, if this is all your faults, I don't want anything more to do with it. All I ask is you fix the Overworld, so no one else dies."

"Can do, Zoeya." Duncan said.

"That's 'Princess Zoeya' to you." The royal smirked, before gliding out of the chamber, not noticing the blood stains evident in her footprints. Not a moment after she had left the room, the duo heard her voice again.

"Oh great, what's happened here?"

"You just saw what happened, Zo-" Duncan stopped, seeing the new person in the doorway. Or rather, new people. The two females, one resembling Zoeya and the other completely unknown, strode into the room and surveyed the scene.

"Fiona, this is why we can't have anyone messing with the beacons! You see what can happen if someone meddles with just time? Now think about if they got ahold of any of the others!"

"But no one stole any of them, Zoey! This is a different method of time travel." Fiona replied, arms crossed. "Looks like we found 'em, though." She said, looking over at Sjin and Duncan.

"Who-"

"I'm Commander Proasheck and this is Commander Saberial, of the Heart of Mushbury. We're here because of temporal disturbances on a planet we've been looking into, and they've led us to you two. So, who are you, and why are you messing with time?"

"Well, we're the Time Cops!" Sjin piped up. "We make sure all crimes are stopped by making sure they can't happen in the first place!"

"I take it this wasn't what you planned?" Fiona asked.

"No, no of course not!"

"In that case," She glanced over at Zoey, who gave a slight nod. "You'd best be gettin' back to whenever you came from. We'll take care of this timeline."

"Well, that's the problem, we ran out of power with our hypergate, so that's why we got stranded here." Duncan explained.

"I guess we can get you two home, but I'm afraid we can't let you remember anything of our ship, so we might have to also remove all of your memory of these events right now, or of this timeline altogether even." Zoey shrugged.

"Well, I think we wouldn't mind that, would we, Duncan?" Sjin said. Duncan shook his head, the day's events having put a damper on his feelings about time travel.

"Though, you mentioned this 'timeline'? Does that mean what we do here doesn't actually affect our home's time?"

"Well... yes and no. If you're aware of it, you can go back to the 'original' timeline, but otherwise you'd just jump ahead to see the results of your actions. So that's another reason why we gotta make you forget everything that's happened here." Zoey said, pulling out a little device from her bag. She fiddled with it, a high pitched whir soon filling the air.  
  
"Do it, then." 

* * *

 

They woke slowly, both with the strange feeling that they were forgetting something big. Like there was a gap in their memory, that hadn't been there moments before. What were they doing again? Oh, right, going back in time. But why did they need to do that again? They needed to stop something... ah well, they'd think of something to do. It wasn't as if the past was devoid of mistakes and wrongdoings.

What they didn't know, was that the future wasn't, either.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end of that! I may rewrite some of this, because while it was fun, I feel I could've made some chapters a bit better, but for now I hope you all enjoyed my little fic!  
> I've half a mind to write both a sort of backstory to these versions, as well as an epilogue detailing what happens after, so write in the comments if you'd be interested in seeing those!


End file.
